Portland Oregon Nordic Troll

The summer of 2023 is a six-sculpture exhibition — ”Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King” — will place giant Nordic troll characters in natural landscapes across the Pacific Northwest. Five of the sculptures will be constructed in locations across the Puget Sound area, but one will land near Portland.

The trolls, ranging in height from about 12 to 20 feet, are the creation of Danish artist and environmentalist Thomas Dambo. He constructs them with volunteer help using recycled materials — namely, old wood pallets. His whimsical trolls appear in forests, along streams and rivers, and in other natural areas.

Dambo has already created about 100 troll sculptures around the world. This is his first one installed in the Pacific Northwest.

Construction of the Portland area troll, the first of the series, will begin in the summer 0f 2023 in the natural wetlands surrounding the campus of the nonprofit Nordic Northwest at 8800 S.W. Oleson Road, not far from Washington Square. The Portland troll won’t be visible from the street, and visitors will need to travel down a gravel path to find it. The path is short and family friendly. There is wheelchair access, but you will have to take a different route to get to the troll.

Inside the house the troll is looking into.

The other trolls will be placed in Issaquah, Ballard, West Seattle and on Bainbridge and Vashon islands, though their exact locations won’t be revealed. Instead, “troll hunters” will be encouraged to use a geotagging app to discover them in the wild, like a scavenger hunt, and explore the natural spaces they inhabit.

The troll sculptures are scheduled to be completed in September and will remain for at least three years.

The Nordic troll is located at the Nordic Northwest Campus. Founded in 1986 to support the Nordic language programs at Portland State University, Nordic Northwest has expanded on its original mission over the past three decades to become the home for all things Nordic in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Anchored by a Midsummer festival in June and a Christmas market in December, Nordic Northwest's roster of programming includes concerts, exhibits, family programming, special events, film screenings, lectures, classes, dances, performances and celebrations throughout the entire year that focus on the cultures of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

On the campus is also a Nordic village with a Nordic house and some cabins.

Here is what the small Nordic cabins look like.

When immigrants from Scandinavia began to come to America in the 1800s, they settled mostly in the Midwest. By the 1880s the railroads made it all the way to the Pacific Northwest and within a decade, many Scandinavian organizations and churches were established in towns like Tacoma, Astoria and in the Yakima Valley. Astoria and Ballard are two cities that continue to embrace their rich Scandinavian histories and it is said that Scandinavians felt a kinship with the natural surroundings they found in Oregon and Washington and the economic opportunities here at the time such as fishing, logging and farming. Today an estimated 10% of the population of Oregon and 12% of the population of Washington share Nordic roots.

Ethnic lodges were also very popular in the area, one of the last remaining cultural buildings in Portland, built by the Sons of Norway, Grieg Lodge, is also a multi-purpose facility in SE Portland called Norse Hall and was built in 1928. Other local Nordic organizations include: the Danish Brotherhood and Sisterhood, Northwest Danish Association, United Kalevala Brothers & Sisters, Finlandia Foundation, Daughters of Norway, League of Swedish Societies, Vasa Order of America (Tre Kronor, Harmoni & Nobel Lodges), New Sweden, Swedish Society Linnea, Swedish Roots in Oregon, the Swedish Club and many traditional dancing and music groups for all ages.

They introduce new generations to stories of the Nordic past, celebrate the values of contemporary Nordic societies and highlight new developments and innovations from Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden. They are an inclusive community, welcoming to those of Nordic and non-Nordic descent alike and seek to uphold the ideals of the contemporary Nordic countries, including sustainability, egalitarianism and a deep connection to nature. Nordia House is a home for anyone interested in the Nordic countries and they look forward to helping you discover more about the lands of the far north.

They are located at 8800 SW Oleson Rd, Portland, OR 97223-6832 and their website is nordicnorthwest.org.